As another school year comes to a close, I find myself once again marveling how fast time seems to fly as I get older. It seems like just yesterday I was writing my first column as the copy editor of The Gannon Knight – which ironically was about the concept of time.

This school year was definitely full of ups and downs, but that is to be expected. With that being said, the good of this year vastly outweighed the bad and I am grateful for that.

The best part of this school year for me was definitely the new connections I made and the old relationships I strengthened.

During the first full weekend back on campus this year, I was blessed with the incredible opportunity to lead the First Year Retreat, which is sponsored by Campus Ministry. Through this retreat, I met so many amazing people with whom I have become very close this year.

Sometime during the course of that weekend, most of the retreatants began to lovingly refer to me as “Mom,” a name that has stuck for the entire school year.

I think the most rewarding part of being a First Year Retreat leader has been getting to watch the scared freshmen who had not yet even begun to figure out the whole college situation blossom into people who are confident and happy at Gannon.

Another amazing aspect of being a First Year Retreat leader is getting to share in someone else’s faith journey. Two of the girls who attended the retreat this year were welcomed fully into the Catholic Church Sunday through the sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation.

I definitely felt like a proud mom as they received these sacraments that affirmed their desire to share in the Catholic faith. I loved watching as their faith deepened and they desired to learn more about the church throughout this school year.

To see them finally welcomed into the church was an amazing moment that honestly brought me to tears.

Another great part of my school year was getting the chance to work on staff at The Gannon Knight. I would be absolutely remiss if I did not mention the place I spent every Tuesday night – or the people who were with me.

The staff is incredible and made the long nights spent in the office not only bearable, but a whole lot of fun. There is so much laughter in the office.

And though the Roundtable was often the source of my greatest stress on Tuesday mornings, it was also a great opportunity for me to talk to a lot of different people. I enjoyed getting to hear a variety of opinions and perspectives from the people I encountered through this job.

I am definitely going to miss Tuesday nights in the office next fall, but I am excited about the new opportunities I have to grow. I will be studying abroad in Rome and though I will miss writing in the fall, I am sure I will have lots to share with you all in the spring.